


Absolutely Smitten

by PlutoWillAlwaysBeAPlanet



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe- Modern, And get the love she deserves, F/F, F/M, Finally, Henry Laurens' A+ Parenting, I don't really know what to tag honestly, I finally watched TURN and loved it and now I am adding their characters sorry, It's weird but I actually have a plot in store, M/M, Martha Manning is pure, Multi, Pining, Schuyler Sister Tampering, So is Martha Laurens but in a more subtle way, Spying, The update schedule is sporadic, They just want Eliza to be happy, This shouldn't be taken seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-03-03 19:44:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13348206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlutoWillAlwaysBeAPlanet/pseuds/PlutoWillAlwaysBeAPlanet
Summary: Elizabeth Schuyler is smitten. Her sisters know this, and try to find any way possible for her to obtain the person she loves. Their schemes may involve more than just themselves, and on the way other people discover more about their own romantic lives than some of them wish they had. Until one day.Everything falls apart.This is mainly just an idea that I had early in the morning and wrote most of it that same morning. I hope it is good, but that is for you to decide. The title is inspired by Dodie Clark's "Absolutely Smitten."





	1. Look Into Your Eyes and the Sky's the Limit

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my second work here, and I was going to make this a one-shot, but I thought it would be cooler if I made it a chapter series, each chapter being someone else's perspective (it will go back to a person's respective, just not twice in a row, unless I have to or forget). I wrote this at one in the morning. Like always. This is basically a jumble of stuff I wanted to write about, mostly because I was bored. I liked it enough to post it, but maybe it's not that great, I don't know. I criticize my writing a lot, sorry. Anyways, I did write this at one in the morning, so it might have some errors. Or was it two? I don't really remember or expect people to read/see this, but if you do, I hope you enjoy. Also, the ships that will be revealed right now is Marliza and Lams, everything else will be told later. I want to keep it a surprise, but this is mainly romance. I am working on a plot for it right now,but the first couple of chapters will most likely be romance or something like that. Maybe some pining, I don't know. I will make this interesting, though, I just need to figure out how. The title was inspired by Dodie Clark's song "Absolutely Smitten," which I love. Thank you for reading, comment and give kudos only if you want to and deem it worthy, I guess. Have a wonderful night or day!

Eliza tapped her pencil on the wooden desk, admiring the carvings of former students. Many initials with plus signs and hearts drawn over them, possibly even more swear words. As she traced over the inappropriate words, she casually snuck glances Ms. Maria Lewis’s way. No, Maria was not a teacher, and yes, she was beautiful today. Well, she was beautiful everyday, but, still. Today she had her hair up in a messy bun, with a dark grey silky cloth that was tied in the back like a headband. A soft, red long-sleeved cardigan, a black tank-top, navy blue jean shorts, and high-tops with fluffy red socks that snuck out of the tops fittingly. Her trademark red lipstick adorned her lips, and her nails were painted the same wine red. Yep, she was a beautiful girl. And problem. 

“Eliza. Elizabeth. ELIZABETH SCHUYLER!” Mr. Boudinot screeched, red-faced and glaring at Eliza. “Care to tell the class why you aren’t paying attention?” Eliza might’ve imagined it, but she thought she had seen him sneak a glance Maria’s way, telling Eliza subconsciously that he knew what she was looking at. At least he wasn’t cruel enough to say it out loud. To the whole class. To Maria. The thought made her sweat. 

“N-no, Mr. Boudinot. I’m sorry.” Her voice became softer with every word, and she refused to meet his or anyone else’s gaze for that matter. She hated being in the spotlight. He glared at her, but eventually his expression softened and he nodded, a silent ‘don’t do it again’ look on his face. She didn’t look at Maria for the rest of class. 

 

“I heard someone got in trouublee!” Peggy bounced beside Eliza, nudging her with her hip. Eliza’s face turned red, and she whipped around to check and make sure that there weren’t many people occupying the hallway. Luck was not on her side today. 

“Shut it, Margarita!” Peggy’s brow furrowed, and she careened her head to see Angelica clearly, frowning deeply when the eldest sister just raised an eyebrow at the youngest. Peggy turned back to Eliza.

“You never call me Margarita.” Eliza narrowed her eyes, a small smirk playing on her lips at the sight of her sister’s annoyance at her formal name.

“Well, what are you going to do about it, Margarita? After all, it  _ is  _ your real name!” Peggy opened her mouth indignantly, only to be cut off by Angelica. 

“Would you two just shut up? Peggy, Eliza’s allowed to call you Margarita, I’m sorry, but it’s your real name. If it seriously bothers you that much, discuss this matter  _ not  _ in the middle of a crowded hallway. Eliza, don’t think you’re safe. Did you actually get in trouble?” Angelica gave Eliza a stony stare, and the latter wanted to shrink into herself. It wasn’t even a glare, her voice wasn’t raised. In fact, Eliza could still see the twinkle of curiosity in Angelica’s deep brown eyes. She still squirmed uncomfortably, not only for getting in trouble, but for how the eldest Schuyler was so good at acting maternal. It was almost scary. 

“I-I might’ve gotten into trouble with Mr. Boudinot,” Peggy opened her mouth to laugh, but was, once again, interrupted by Angelica. Luckily, Eliza cut both of them off. “I wasn’t exactly paying attention, instead, I was kind of…” Eliza trailed off, fiddling with a loose thread on her blue sweater. She did not want to continue. But, sisters were sisters. 

“Oh? Finish that sentence, Dearest Elizabeth.” Eliza glared at Peggy. She was going to call Eliza by her full name if the middle Schuyler persisted on calling Peggy by her full name. Fair’s fair, she guessed. 

“It was nothing, I assure you. I was just staring off into space, that’s all.” Eliza started to fantasize about Maria’s lovely appearance, missing the unspoken sisterly glance Peggy and Angelica shared. 

“Elizabeth’s in loooove!” Peggy teased, squishing her hands against her cheeks to make a very disfigured fish kissy-face. Eliza shoved Peggy, almost knocking her into several lockers. Peggy hardly seemed to notice, and was more focused on trying to calm her unending stream of laughter, a few snorts trickled in here and there. Eliza just rolled her eyes, trying to keep a serious angered face on, but, she could not. She gave up the facade and let a smile tug the corners of her lips. Angelica swerved to avoid a very loud-mouthed ginger whom was arguing with, well, everybody it seemed. She nudged Eliza gently, and when the latter looked up she bore a warm expression, her brown eyes alight with happiness. 

“Even if Peggy’s being Peggy, and, well, she’s a little shit, right? Is my baby sister in love?” Angelica laughed towards the end of the sentence, the sound melodic but was somehow still able to strike astonishment into angels. Eliza was envious. Good-naturedly, of course. 

“I wouldn’t call it love, Angie. I don’t truly know the girl. All I know is that her favourite colour is red, and, well, even  _ that’s  _ an estimation.” Eliza started to rack her brain, gather any sorts of information she knew about the girl. Even if it was small. “I think she’s a cat person, she doodles them a lot on her paper. I love the way she adds socks to their little paws, and she even colours them in.” Eliza’s eyes lit up just thinking about the girl. “I love the way she folds all of her assignment instructions into different origami shapes, not only is it pretty cool, but she always asks me if she could borrow my paper of instructions to photocopy in the office. Her voice is so smooth, I once photocopied a sheet of instructions without her asking, just so I could see the happily shocked expression on her face, and the way she said ‘thanks, Elizabeth!’ was more than I could’ve asked for. It was different than the other times. She doesn’t normally say my name, and she had this lilt to her voice. It was beautiful, Angie. She’s the only one I’ll allow to call me by my full name. I want to hear it roll off of her tongue forever!” Eliza finished, mystified, tugging on Angelica’s pink blouse sleeve and closing her eyes, imagining other scenarios where Maria would be saying her name-okay, Eliza, you should chill out now. 

“What about me?” Peggy crossed her arms, a mock hurt expression settling itself onto her face. 

“What about you?” Eliza glanced aggravatingly down at Peggy, angry that she ruined her Maria-induced trance. 

“Aren’t I allowed to say your full name?” Eliza sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand, the other still occupying Angelica’s sleeve. 

“No.” Peggy uncrossed her arms only to put one hand slightly above her breast, her mouth agape. 

“B-but I’m your  _ sister _ ! Fine!” She huffed, facing forward, at least not faltering in walking ahead. “But you can’t call me Margarita.” She smirked, glancing up sideways at Eliza. 

“Fine. Deal?” They shook hands, Angelica sighing exasperatedly. 

“Well, now that  _ that’s  _ settled, why don’t we talk about how our little Eliza is absolutely smitten?” Angelica’s eyes glimmered playfully, but abruptly dulled as the bell rang. “Shit. We have to go. Damnit, well, we  _ are  _ talking about this after school! And at lunch!” Angelica shrugged Eliza’s hand off of her sleeve, running down the hallway, Peggy not far behind. 

“No we’re not!” Eliza shrieked after them, though it was too late. They didn’t hear her.  

 

“Eliza, is that her?” Angelica pointed to what could only be Maria; hair in a messy bun, a shower of red, brown-doe eyes sparkling. 

“Y-yes…” Eliza’s face instantly turned as red as the girl’s wine-coloured lips. Lips she wanted to kiss. Angelica nudged her with her left elbow, wiggling her eyebrows more than necessary. 

“Why don’t you go talk to her, huh?” Eliza glared at Angelica, then spun around to see Maria speaking animatedly with her friends at the lunch table. 

“I don’t want to interrupt them…” Peggy choked on her yogurt, fist pounding on her chest. 

“WHAT THE FUCK! Eliza, you’re about the nicest person in this school, nobody gives a  _ shit  _ if Eliza Schuyler interrupts them! It’s a blessing, not a curse…” She glanced back down at her yogurt, contemplating eating it. She did. Angelica nodded her head in agreement with Peggy, then looked passed Eliza to Maria. She smiled.

“Do this for us?” She gestured at herself and Peggy, eyes pleading. Peggy pouted her lip. Eliza couldn’t stand it.

“Okay, okay, fine! But what would I even say? I need a conversation starter…” She thought for a moment, index finger on her bottom lip. Suddenly, the newest assignment from English made her lips turn up at the corners. She dug around her backpack for a minute, useless papers crowding the poor bag and taking up too much space. Finally, she pulled out the essay assignment, practically beaming as she looked back up at Angelica. Her older sister smiled fondly, taking the paper and reading over it. 

“This is your conversation starter?” She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, glancing back and forth from Eliza to the paper. 

“Remember how I said she always loses her assignments? Too busy making them into origami…” Eliza trailed off and thought about Maria's last assignment, a beautiful origami rose. Angelica nudged her, handing her the paper and tilting her head towards Maria.

“Go. Talk. To. Her. Now. Or I’ll do it for you! And we both know how that would turn out.” Angelica winked as Eliza rolled her eyes and found courage to slide off her seat, the blue paper clutched in one hand. She stood on two shaky legs, inhaling deep breaths as she shifted uneasily. Angelica poked her hard in the back, reminding Eliza of her current mission. Target; Maria Lewis. She inched forward, the sound of her sandals hitting the ground made her cringe. She kept walking. Finally, when she was about four real-steps away from Maria’s table, she glanced back at Angelica and Peggy, whom were both giving her a thumbs up, Angelica nudging Peggy, who looked up from her phone and smiled. Eliza gave them a shaky smile in return, closing her eyes and turning back to the task at hand. She eventually worked up the courage and made her way to Maria’s table, two girls arguing heatedly while Maria just laughed, sipping her apple juice. She loved apple juice. Two guys at the end of the table spoke in hushed whispers, chuckling once in awhile. They both looked up at Eliza as she made it obvious that she was trying to get their table’s attention. One of the boys smiled, waving. 

“Elizabeth Schuyler, right?” He spoke loudly, just enough to get the other two girls to stop arguing, and Maria raised a questioning eyebrow, lips still at the edge of her apple juice bottle. Eliza couldn’t help but stare. Finally, she shook her head lightly, probably looking slightly crazy.

“U-uh, yes, it’s me, Eliza Schuyler…” She trailed off, suddenly becoming very anxious. What if Maria didn’t need the extra paper? What would Eliza do? Should she just leave now? Instead, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, sweating profusely. Hopefully nobody noticed. When she opened her eyes, the entire table was sharing weird glances and Eliza wanted nothing more than to become invisible. She held out the paper, thrusting it in Maria’s face. “I thought you’d need this! You know, because usually your assignment papers turn into origami. It’s the recent English assignment that Mr. Boudinot gave us, I just thought...You might...Need it.” Her voice became small, though it was audible enough. Maria smiled, and it lit up the entire room. The school no longer had to worry about a power-outage, for they had Maria’s smile to light the way. Eliza almost rolled her eyes at her own cheesy comparison. Maria took the page with her right hand, while digging through her backpack with the other. Her tongue stuck out slightly as she focused on retrieving whatever it was she needed from her ladybug bag. Well, it was black with wine red polka dots, so Eliza automatically associated it with a ladybug. Finally, Maria held up a beautiful blue origami butterfly, gently handing it to Eliza. As she placed the fragile, paper insect into Eliza’s care, her fingers brushed Eliza’s, a delicate touch, soft and sweet and- Eliza was looking too far into this. Maria grinned as she gazed at her creation; lovingly, like it was the greatest thing she had ever made. 

“For this,” Maria flashed the paper Eliza recently gave her, “I give you that,” she pointed at the butterfly. Eliza agreed. It was the greatest thing Maria had ever made. Because she gave it to Eliza. Maria still gazed at the butterfly, but glanced up at Eliza here and there, waiting for the other girl’s reaction. After comfortable silence, in which Eliza spent smiling like a dork at the butterfly, she finally found words.

“I love it.” She murmured, racking her brain for a place to store such a lovely object. Maria let her gaze drift to Eliza’s face, and Eliza’s eyes wandered to hers. They stared at each other for a long while, until one of the girls coughed, reminding Eliza that her “mission” was complete. She had to leave before she grew awkward. “I-I guess I’ll go now.” It was more of a mumble, but Eliza assumed they heard her anyways and traipsed back to her sisters’ table. Angelica and Peggy looked up from their phones, each had their eyebrows raised. Eliza’s face must’ve been rose red. It always was even at the mention of Maria.

“So?” Peggy probed, her eyes searching Eliza’s person until landing on the butterfly in her sister’s hands. “OH MY!” She bounced up, all grace forgotten, and quickly stumbled to Eliza’s side, jumping up and down and pointing at the butterfly as if it was the end of the world. Angelica rose, pushing Peggy out of the way as she inspected the butterfly.

“Did she make that for you?” Angelica glimpsed her sister’s colouring cheeks, smiling at the faint pink that dusted them. 

“N-not exactly. Oh, I wish she did, Angie! She gave this to me. It’s the assignment. I think it looks better this way.” Eliza didn’t stop staring at the butterfly, her imagination picturing Maria’s smooth hands and graceful fingers making a beautiful, red heart, giving it to Eliza. Why did it have to be a fantasy? Angelica comforted Eliza by rubbing her shoulder, trying to sympathize. 

“Don’t worry, ‘Liza. Someday she will make origami for you. I just know it. That or you’ll find someone else who maybe...Writes you poems? Who knows, the world is crazy.” Eliza knew that Angelica was just trying to help, trying to tell her that even if Maria doesn’t like her back and she never gets with her, that life moves on and she would, too. Eliza didn’t like that thought. She was only a sophomore in high school, and she had liked Maria ever since the first day of freshman year. 

“I guess.” Eliza muttered, glancing around the commons for anything she could use to store her butterfly. She just really didn’t want to look at Angelica. 

“What about him?” Angelica nudged Eliza, her arm outstretched and pointing to the ginger that was in the hallway earlier, though this time he was sharing videos on his phone with another boy. Eliza glared at Angelica. 

“What  _ about  _ him?” Angelica sighed, resting her outstretched arm on her hip. 

“He looks nice. Boyfriend material?” Eliza blinked, her gaze shifting between the boy and Angelica. 

“For me or you?” Angelica’s brows furrowed, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

“For you, obviously. Just in case things don’t work out with Maria. I don’t need love. Not yet, at least.” She winked, and Eliza sighed, clutching the butterfly closer to her chest. She knew her sister was just making excuses for herself, since she was obviously desperate for love, even though she would never admit it.

“Did you learn anything from today? I don’t want a boyfriend, I want her,” she pointed with her head to where Maria was eating a peach, still sipping her apple juice. Angelica bit her lip. 

“Fine, you’ve got a point. But he’s pretty cute. Are you sure, Eliza?” Angelica waggled her eyebrows once more, Eliza groaning. 

“Positive, Angie.” 

“Aha!” Peggy’s tone sounded victorious as she scrolled through her phone. 

“What?” Angelica strode over to their youngest sister, peering over her shoulder at what her electronic held. “Who is that?” Peggy tapped on a picture, and Eliza joined Angelica at Peggy’s shoulder, though she had to move to Peggy’s other side. It was impossible to see over Angelica’s hair. 

“It’s him. The boy you guys were talking about.” The picture Peggy chose was beautiful. The people, and the scenery. It was a picture taken over the summer, a small waterfall in the background, clouds covering the perfect blue of the sky, slight rain, and it looked to be as if they were hiking. By they Eliza was referring to Never-Shuts-Up, Never-Shuts-Up’s friend, whom Eliza designated to be Freckles, and- 

“Maria?” Eliza blinked twice, inclining to see the picture better. Maria’s hair was pulled up into a ponytail, white short-sleeved shirt with the words ‘Sleep’ in big black letters, and jean shorts. She still had her trademark red lipstick. Her smile made Eliza forget that there was no sun in the picture. 

“Uh, oh.” Peggy whispered, clicking out of the picture, much to Eliza’s disappointment. She scrolled through more of his Instagram account, every picture included Freckles, and almost 90% of them also included Maria. Half of them also introduced two other guys. Peggy tapped on one of those. It was taken last year, in December. Freckles was throwing a snowball at a tall boy whom Eliza named Poof Ball, for the bun that was atop his head. It looked like a poof. Never-Shuts-Up was being tackled on the ground by Beanie Man, a burly man who wore a bright green beanie. An arm protruded from the bottom edge of the picture, coming from the person taking it. A red coat sleeve covered most of it, but Eliza couldn’t mistake the bronze skin colour, the wine-red nails. Maria. The description of the picture read, ‘love these idiots,’ with hearts. Peggy turned off her phone. 

“Wait!” Eliza reached forward, only to be greeted with nothing. The butterfly felt meaningless in her left hand. Silence captured their table; suffocating, cold, and Eliza hated it. Peggy and Angelica didn’t move, they stood rigid, unable to look at Eliza for fear of reminding her of her stupid, meaningless, crush. She wanted to crumple the butterfly. She stared down at it, the light from the commons windows making it seem angelic. All the harder to crush it.  _ You’re being melodramatic, stop. You don’t even know if she’s actually dating someone.  _

“I’m sorry, ‘Liza.” Peggy finally broke her rigid stance and turned to her sister, eyes wide and sympathetic. 

“No.” Is all Eliza said, her fingertips gently resting on the top of the butterfly. She turned on her heel, narrowing her eyes at the sight of Never-Shuts-Up and Freckles. She began to walk over to their table, confident. When she was close enough, she realized there were two other girls at the table and a boy. The girl closest to Eliza had her thick brown hair in a French braid, gray dress tunic with leather patches on the elbows, bright blue eyes surrounded by thick lashes. The other girl was probably the exact opposite. She had bright red hair, emerald green eyes, heavier set, mint green dress. She looked friendlier. The boy, on the other hand, just  _ looked  _ like a hopeless romantic. He had strawberry blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and lips that many girls (or guys) would like to kiss. But Eliza wasn’t here for the girls, or the guy. She was here for Never-Shuts-Up. She glared at him, the girls sharing puzzled stares and the boy continuing his writing, awkwardly looking away from Eliza. She stood there, one hand on her hip, the other holding the precious butterfly. The brunette cleared her throat loudly, enough to gather the attention of Freckles and Never-Shuts-Up. Eliza could almost hear Angelica and Peggy’s panic behind her. Never-Shuts-Up turned his phone off, glancing at everyone at the table, his gaze resting on Eliza. 

“Uh, can I help you?” His voice made Eliza’s eyes narrow further. How could Maria be into someone like this? How could someone like this be so deserving of someone like Maria? Why were Eliza’s thoughts being so cruel to someone she hadn’t even met? 

“Yes.” Despite Eliza’s efforts to calm her ferocity, her frankly unnecessary ferocity, her voice still came out sharp. Never-Shuts-Up winced, glancing at Freckles curiously. Eliza kept her chin high, even though guilt must’ve been written all over her face. She felt horrible. How could she be so awful to someone she just met? 

“Elizabeth Schuyler, right?” A thick Russian accent from Eliza’s right spoke out, almost startling her. The brunette had spoken, but Eliza recognized her voice.

“Yes, and you must be Catherine, right? We’re in English class together.”  _ Along with Maria.  _ “I’ve heard people call you ‘Catherine the Great.’” Catherine snickered, the red-head behind her grinning. 

“That’s because she’s the best runner in the whole school! Cross country, I believe.” The red-head had a British accent, and she engulfed Catherine in a crushing hug. 

“That’s great. I would love to chat with you more Catherine,” what was left of Catherine beamed, “but I need to talk to  _ you _ .” The hand on Eliza’s hip slid off and pointed to Ginger Boy, who looked slightly frightened. 

“Uh, okay. Why don’t we go over...There…” He pointed to a corner of the commons, near the office. Eliza nodded, waiting for the boy to get up, then finally walking to the aforementioned spot. Once they both became situated in the corner, Eliza turned to him coldly. 

“So.” She began, raising a brow. The boy looked around the corner, panicked. 

“So…” He trailed off, pulling on a thread on the cuffs of his sweatshirt. “Why are you mad at me? You’re the middle Schuyler sister, right? I haven’t talked to the Schuylers before, except that one time in French club where I was in group with Peggy- Oh, God, are you mad about me calling her a banana? I meant it as a joke, it’s not even that mean-” Eliza cut him off before he could ramble, trying to stifle laughter. She remembered the time Peggy came home complaining that a loud-mouthed boy had called her a banana. 

“So you’re the one who called my sister a banana?” Eliza didn’t try to be intimidating, but the boy shrunk back a bit as she spoke. Maybe her Angelica side was peeking out. 

“Possibly. I’m sorry, again, about that. She was pissing me off and she was wearing a yellow jumpsuit, so-” Eliza cut him off with laughter, clutching her stomach with one hand, the other still holding the butterfly. 

“It’s fine, it’s only Peggy, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even remember. I didn’t ask to speak with you so we could reminisce about how my sister was called a banana, no, I asked to speak with you so I could...Well, I need to...Ask you something.” Eliza suddenly grew nervous, twirling the butterfly in her hand carefully. “Areyoudatinganybody?” It came out quicker than she would’ve liked, and she took a deep breath before trying again. It’s not like she was asking him out. 

“What?” She sighed at his interruption. 

“Are. You. Dating. Anybody?” As soon as those words left her mouth, Eliza regretted it. “I don’t want to date you!” She rushed out as his shocked face. “I just wanted to know…” She trailed off, wondering if this whole conversation was just a big mistake. She decided that it was. Before he could speak, she shook her head. “You know what? This was a mistake, I'll just leave,” as she started to walk away, he grabbed her wrist, the one attached to the hand holding the butterfly. Well, the slightly crushed butterfly. She turned back to him, his violet blue eyes shimmering in the fluorescent lights of the commons. 

“The answer is no, Eliza. Also, my name is Alexander Hamilton. Just thought you would want to know...About the dating thing...why do you need to know?” Eliza still contemplated on just walking away, but she decided against it. She sighed, letting him gently pull her back to the corner, also a bit disappointed that she knew his name. Never-Shuts-Up seemed a tad more fitting. 

“There's this...Person in your photos...And I like them...So I just wanted to know if you were dating them…” Alex's face lit up and he smiled.

“Who? Hercules? Lafayette?” These were both foreign names to Eliza, and she shook her head. She couldn't outright say it was Maria. She officially ruled that this whole interaction was a mistake. Instead, Alexander squinted, biting his lip, lost in thought. “Is it someone who's frequently in my photos?” He queried, raising a brow. Eliza’s face heat up and she shook her head violently, shaking her wrist so he dropped his hand that he hadn't realized was still attached. 

“I'm going to go,” she hurried out, her words slurring together so Alexander probably didn't even understand what she had said. Her bout of passion had diminished, leaving Eliza red-faced and sweating. She almost gave her crush away! To a boy she had  _ just  _ met! What if Alexander told Maria? She probably would never talk to Eliza again, and everything would become awkward. What if Alexander figures it out on his own? He already had enough clues. Eliza would just have to never talk to him. Yup, that's the solution. After what felt like a million miles, Eliza finally made it to her sisters’ table. Angelica and Peggy both stared up at her. Peggy wasn't even on her phone. 

“So?” Angelica prompted, Eliza letting the butterfly gently slide off of her fingers and onto the shimmering table. 

“So, what?” She snapped, glaring at Angelica. Her expression softened as Angelica flinched at her tone. “I'm sorry, Angie, I'm just...Angry at myself. That was stupid,  _ I  _ was stupid!” Eliza swung her legs over the side of the bench and plopped down, her palm meeting her jaw a little too roughly. “Ow.” She muttered, staring at the loose thread on her sweater. 

“What happened?” Peggy gasped,  “Does he think you're into him?” Eliza sighed and let her hand fall to the table, her head following soon after and resting on her forearms. 

“Oh, God, he thinks you're into him, doesn't he?” Angelica echoed Peggy’s statement. Eliza shook her head, though it was very restricted due to her forearms being in the way.

“Then what happened?” Peggy almost sounded disappointed. Well, it was expected. She loved drama.

“He doesn’t think I’m into him, but he has enough clues to figure out who I like for himself.” Eliza murmured after another few seconds of silence. She could hear something sliding across the table toward her, poking her head. It was Peggy. 

“Why is that such a problem?” Eliza pulled her head from her forearms and looked into Peggy’s eyes.

“Because he’ll tell Maria and it will be awkward because she  _ obviously  _ doesn’t like me!” She stated it as if it was a clear fact, one a small child should know. Peggy scooted away from her, glancing at Angelica and shrugging. Eliza uncrumpled the butterfly, staring at it mournfully. Was Maria even gay? Whatever, it wasn’t worth the risk. 

“Just ask her.” Angelica spoke up, as if reading Eliza’s mind. The middle Schuyler shook her head, whether out of fear of her older sister’s powers to read her mind or telling Angelica that she would never ask, it was unknown. 

“I can’t just  _ ask her  _ a question like that, it’s awkward. Everything’s awkward nowadays.” Peggy glanced curiously between Angelica and Eliza. 

“Do you guys have some unspoken sisterly powers? If you do, how does it work and why don’t I have it?” She scrunched up her face and looked down at her phone, probably trying to make it move with her mind. It didn’t work. 

“No, Peggles, we don’t.” Eliza narrowed her eyes, thinking of a reason why she just called Peggy “Peggles,” but shrugged instead, her younger sister ignoring the oddly cute nickname and still trying to activate her non existent powers of telekinesis. 

“Give it up, girl.” Angelica dropped another yogurt container in front of her, which Peggy took gratefully.

“Thank you. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I want to be early to my next class. Probably because Mr. Faraday also said he’d fail me if I was late one more time.” Angelica grabbed hold of Peggy’s wrist, giving her an angry yet confused look.

“How many times have you been late? And what subject does Mr. Faraday teach? That name’s familiar.” She let go of her younger sister’s wrist, her index finger resting on her chin. 

“He teaches Chemistry to the freshmen, and Physics to sophomores or whatever. He also teaches AP Physics. Don’t mind me, but I need to leave now. I’m already two minutes late.” Angelica groaned as Eliza covered her mouth, trying and failing at stifling her giggles. Peggy traipsed off, her dress swishing along with her movements. Angelica sighed, cleaning up her area at the lunch table and glancing at Eliza.

“I should go, too. Better early than on time!” Eliza stood up, following suit and cleaning.

“If it’s better early than on time then just make the ‘early’ date considered ‘on time,’ or shut up about it,” Angelica rolled her eyes, making her way to the A pod downstairs. Eliza sat at the table for a few more minutes, checking notifications on her phone, staring at Maria once in a while, and glimpsing Alexander watching her curiously.  _ Oh, God, what have I done?  _

 

“You need to unlock your narrative senses!” Ms. Austen spoke in a dreamy voice, using her hands for expression. She glided across the floor, her long blue skirt making her seem as if she was floating. She paused at Eliza, glanced down at her work, and smiled. “I’m proud of you, dear. That story you turned in yesterday was simply marvelous, I truly enjoyed every second of it.” Eliza beamed, joy blooming in her chest.

“Thank you, Ms. Austen. I’m very glad you liked it,” Ms. Austen raised her eyebrows, tilting her head.

“Liked it? I  _ loved  _ it, Elizabeth!” She then turned away from Eliza, gliding to another student’s desk and proceeding to compliment their work, though the praise wasn’t as high as she gave Eliza. 

“Broaden your minds, young ones!” Ms. Austen spun to face the class from the back of the room, a bright smile on her face and arms out. “Don’t limit your perspectives! See every point of view, so you can finally paint the whole picture. Well, in this case, write.” She returned to the front of the room, not before giving Eliza a quick smile as she walked by. Eliza took a deep breath and returned her pencil to the paper, trying to follow Ms. Austen’s advice. It was slightly difficult when the person in front of you wouldn’t stop tapping his desk. Eliza groaned, patiently waiting for him to silence himself after seeing the disruption he was causing the class. He did not. Eliza cleared her throat, only to have Ms. Austen glance at her worriedly. Eliza looked down at her paper, still unable to focus now that all of her attention had been stolen by the boy in front of her. 

“Excuse me?” Eliza whispered, leaning as far forward in her desk as she could to catch the boy’s attention. He didn’t acknowledge her, instead continuing that incessant tapping. “Uhm, excuse me, sir?” Eliza tried again, her voice slightly louder. She glanced nervously at Ms. Austen, not wanting her favourite teacher to call her out in class. Unable to write an enjoyable narrative story (or at least a bit of a story), Eliza instead checked her phone under her desk. She had been sent several memes from Angelica, one message from Angelica apologizing for texting her in class then continuing to rant about why education is important, and another text from an unknown number. Eliza ignored her older sister’s message and tapped the unknown number. Her jaw dropped, along with her stomach. She felt like she was going to vomit.


	2. I Don't Want To Be in the Room Where It Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angelica and Peggy offer a deal; Alexander and John get in trouble; and there's a scary receptionist.

Alexander stood, confused, in the corner where Elizabeth Schuyler had left him. She had murmured a phrase before hurriedly walking away, though her footsteps were silenced by an unseen force of grace. He watched as she strode to her sisters’ table, her head falling onto her forearms. He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. It was a strange day, but not only because of his most recent encounter with the middle Schuyler. He tried to not think of the events of the morning, deciding it was best to leave them in the past. The very recent past. He sauntered over to where his peers still sat at their lunch table, John glancing up from Alexander’s phone for the briefest second, then returning his gaze to the electronic and proceeding to laugh. Alexander should have never given him his password. He plopped down next to his freckled friend, smiling and peering over his shoulder at the video John was watching intently. He was pretty sure it was just a vine compilation, and watching them with no sound started to puzzle Alexander more than he already was, putting him in a worse mood.

“Whatever is the matter, dearest?” John Keats rested his hand on Alexander’s shoulder, concern gleaming throughout his icy blue eyes. Alex shrugged his hand off, resting his head in the palm of his own hand.

“Nothing, Keats. Why do you have to call me dearest everyday?” Keats pursed his lips, and Alexander was pondering whether he was angry or sad. All of his expressions somehow looked the same. 

“I do not know if I shall rejoice or grow sullen at the last name basis that you have seemed to deem me worthy of, but I promise to be fond of it no less.” Alexander rubbed his temples with his index fingers, letting out a long breath.

“English, please.” Catherine spoke for him, the Russian girl picking at her food, a pointed look in the direction of Keats. “Not to be rude, but I can not understand a word of what you say. Does everything have to be phrased like a poem?” She asked, genuinely curious. Keats smiled, and Alexander was impressed. Finally, another emotion besides worry was displayed on his friend’s face. 

“You are anything but rude, my dear Catherine, I assure you. If I were to phrase my sentences as poems, there would have to possibly be a theme, verses, maybe even rhymes, though not all poems have to-” Charlotte rose from her spot abruptly, cutting off Keats. Her red hair shone bright in the lights of the commons, along with her mint green dress. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m frankly not that interested. Besides, the bell is going to ring in two minutes.” She stared at Laurens expectantly, impatiently waiting for him to notice her. He did not. “I guess  _ someone  _ wants to be late for class,” Charlotte spoke again, her voice raised slightly in order to catch John’s attention. It was a failed attempt. She groaned, leaning over the table and flicking Alexander’s phone so it landed face-down on the wood of the table. 

“That’s my phone, you know.” Charlotte dismissed him, looking to John instead. 

“Why did you do that?” John mumbled, pulling out his earbuds and handing Alexander his phone back. Luckily, the screen was not cracked. 

“Because you’re going to be late, we have probably less than a minute,  _ let’s go _ !” She pulled Catherine up from the table with surprising strength, not even letting the other girl throw her food away before practically dragging her to their shared class. At least Catherine had managed to grab her backpack. Keats followed close behind, waving at John and Alexander before heading the opposite direction of Catherine and Charlotte.

“There are more ways you could have gathered my attention, you know!” John shouted after Charlotte, though she was too far to hear. Alexander’s best friend murmured more inaudible sayings before slinging his bag over his shoulder, looking up at Alexander. The taller man smiled and poked John in the forehead before grabbing his own belongings, shoving them untidily into his bag, trying several times to zip the overflowing backpack. “Maybe if you became more organized like I told you to-” Alexander sighed and slammed his head against his bag, taking in the scent of papers. There was hardly a scent to take in. 

“Then I would have an easier time finding supplies and would actually have a better educational experience overall.” Alexander quoted, his head tilted to look at John, until he pushed himself fully off of the bag. “You’ve told me this more than once, Johnny.” John cringed, grabbing the zipper on his friend’s bag and pulling as hard as he could. It zipped. 

“Don’t ever call me ‘Johnny’ again.” Alexander smiled, obviously ready to call him “Johnny” again, until the bell rung. 

“Shit, we have to go!” He grabbed John’s sleeve, racing to AP US History, praying that Mr. Knox would go easy on them. 

 

“You’re late.” A harsh voice spoke from the front of the room, startling Alexander and John as they quietly tried to find seats, acting as if they were there the whole time. It appeared that Mr. Knox had eyes on the back of his head, even as he wrote on the whiteboard. The formidable teacher turned slowly, making the two boys wait that much longer for a punishment. “This is the second time in a row that you have arrived late.” John glanced at Alexander, and the latter could see the calculative gaze that the former had struck him with. Did John Laurens have a plan?

“We’re sorry, Mr. Knox.” Apparently not. Mr. Knox raised an eyebrow, clicking the top of his dry erase marker shut. 

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. Report to the office, please.” Alexander’s eyes widened. He was not going down without a fight. Besides, there was a creepy receptionist in the office that always stared at him with malice in her eyes. What had he ever done to her? 

“But, Mr. Knox, please, look at the rational side of this? Are you seriously going to send two innocent children to the depths of the Underworld because we are, what, two minutes late?” Mr. Knox clearly wasn’t interested in arguing this point, instead he leaned against his desk, the marker still clutched in his left hand. 

“Ten minutes late.” Alexander turned to John, about ready to use the unpreferred nickname.

“I told you we shouldn’t have stopped for snacks, Johnny.” Alexander whispered, causing students near him to laugh. He cut them off with a glare. “Don’t laugh at me.” John rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just go, Alexander.” Alex shook his head, preparing to make himself comfortable so he could argue with Mr. Knox. 

“I will have you know-” John tugged on his sleeve, his cerulean eyes pleading. Alex pointed to John, “He’s the one that wanted to stop for snacks, so blame him.” John gasped, letting go of his friend’s sleeve and putting a hand to his chest in offense.   
“Excuse me? Would you like to show Mr. Knox the gummies that you bought _with my money_ from the vending machine, or shall I?” Alexander narrowed his eyes, glaring at John.

“That’s a discussion for later,” John shook his head.

“I think it’s a discussion for now.” Mr. Knox whistled, catching the attention of both boys. 

“I think it’s a discussion you two shall have in the office,” he pointed in the general direction of the Underworld, “and I would advise you to leave now before you interrupt the rest of my moments of teaching. Then you’ll really get in trouble.” John pulled Alex away by his shirt collar before he could protest, almost choking his friend. Once they were safely out of the classroom and in the D pod, Alexander turned to John, slapping his arm as to release the other boy’s tight grip on his collar. 

“Ow.” Was all he said, rubbing the spot on the front of his neck where the fabric was starting to hurt his skin. John glared at him.

“Oh, get over it. Why would you blame me for us being late? I thought we were friends,” he flicked Alexander’s backpack, “besides, if anything’s to blame it’s your lack of organization.” Alexander rolled his eyes, shrugging his backpack on to make it more comfortable. 

“Are we still on this?” John crossed his arms, looking more than irritated and perhaps slightly tired what with the dark circles under his eyes. 

“Yes, we are.” Alexander let out an exasperated sigh, moseying along to the office, John in tow.

“Whatever. Hey, I thought eyebags are my thing, not yours.” He meant it teasingly, but the other boy looked slightly frightened. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, a couple of students passing him indifferently. Alexander stopped a few paces ahead of him, turning back to him curiously. “It’s fine, I was just teasing, I’m sorry.” John closed his eyes and shook his head, a small smile tugging the corners of his lips up.

“No, sorry...I’m just tired,” he still looked slightly worried, but Alex refused to bother him about it. If John wanted him to know he would have told him. Once the other boy caught up to him, they continued to walk towards the office, sharing stories about all of the times they had been sent to the aforementioned place. Alex spoke animatedly, exaggerating his story a tad bit, but considered it no harm done. He was an expressive man, and he slapped John in the face whilst spreading his arms. 

“Now it’s my turn to say ow.” Alex laughed, but his mood plummeted as he came face to face with the office doors. The blinds were closed, and it seemed as if no lights were on. Maybe the school finally decided that the office was a truly horrible place that they had to shut down for violations of mental child abuse. The door opened, revealing a bitter receptionist.  _ The  _ receptionist. Alex narrowed his eyes, and it seemed the woman had mutual feelings, for her mouth twisted in disgust as she looked John and Alex up and down, gesturing with a bony arm for them to enter the dungeons of what the school called an “office.” 

“Henry told me you would be arriving. I’m sick and tired of these troublemakers, obnoxiously arguing with the teachers. High schoolers are the epitome of all evil.” John tilted his head in confusion.

“Then why do you work here-ouch!” Alex nudged him (frankly harder than he meant to), putting on an obviously fake smile before dragging John over to the waiting chairs. They discovered while looking at the woman’s desk, that she had been given the title of “Claudia,” and she proceeded to mumble under her breath unintelligible sentences, though Alex was sure he heard “rascals,” “vermin,” “wretched creatures,” and even “scalawags,” in there somewhere. 

“You know ma'am, I didn’t expect you to be here today.” Alex rested his chin on his fist, his fake smile plastered on his face. Claudia looked up from her papers, that same hateful stare fixed on him. 

“And why would that be?” John turned to Alex inquisitively before the latter responded, not regretting any of his decisions. 

“Because I didn’t see your broomstick in the parking lot.” 

 

“This is great.” John uttered, glancing around the tiny, dim office. It was barren, except for one desk, two chairs, and a flickering lamp. John and Alex sat across from each other, and if anyone was to come in through the door (one would hope so, seeing as there were no windows so you would have to break a wall) it would look as if Alex was interrogating his friend. “Why?” John asked, glimpsing Alex’s smile and looking away, covering the bottom half of his face with his arm. “Why did you have to say it?” He started to laugh at the end of his question, losing the aggravated tinge to his voice. Alexander’s smile grew and he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms above his head and resting his feet on the desk, much to John’s annoyance. 

“Because, my dear John, it was what we were all thinking.” John bit his lip, stifling laughter. His face turned red. 

“Don’t become Keats.” Alexander threw his head back and laughed, his arms falling to his sides. 

“I’m pretty sure no one could become Keats. He’s too...Unique of a personality, so to speak…” The pair started to laugh when the door burst open, two glowering girls towering above them, seeing as they were sitting. Oh, no, it was the banana. She was standing next to what seemed to be her pink older sister. John sat up quickly, his chair falling over. He looked between Alex and the girls, puzzled. Once he saw that they were his age, and not teachers, he calmed down, his posture relaxing. He still stared at them quizzically. 

“Do you know them?” Pinkie lifted an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes at Alex. The Banana crossed her arms, a scowl forming on her face. She must have remembered that fateful day in French Club.

“Yeah, we’ve met. And you must be the kid who’s in all of his Instagram photos.” She glared at John, and Alex sat up, returning the gaze.

“Do you hate me already?” John asked, taking a few steps back and sounding hurt yet ready to defend himself. 

“Well, you are friends with _ him _ , so my first impression of you isn’t and will never be-” Pinkie nudged Banana, making the shorter girl almost fall over. 

“ _ Shut up _ !” She hissed, turning back to face Alexander and John. “Ignore her, please. We want to make a deal.” She put her hand on her hip, gazing expectantly at the two boys. After a few seconds of tense silence, Alexander spoke up.

“What the fuck. We don’t even know you.” Banana looked offended and Alexander rolled his eyes, rephrasing his statement, “We don’t even know you  _ that well _ . Why would we make a deal with two girls we don’t know.” Pinkie scowled, glancing around the tiny room.

“Is this an isolation room or something?” She waved at them to follow her as she walked away, Banana close behind.

“What’s happening?” John murmured, tentatively following the two girls. Alexander shrugged. 

“You do know that we’re technically ‘in trouble,’” Alexander said as they all met up in the middle of the office, near the chairs the two boys had occupied while they sat awaiting punishment from Claudia. Surprisingly, the office was now vacant. 

“That’s taken care of,” Banana responded, crossing her arms again. John’s eyes widened.

“How?” A short laugh emanated from Pinkie, and she nudged her sister, giving her an “are these guys idiots,” look. 

“Are you saying that you  _ don’t  _ know who we are?” She asked while John shook his head slowly, glancing at Alexander, disappointed when his friend offered no support. 

“Should I know who you are?” Pinkie and Banana looked very offended, though more in a state of disbelief. 

“We are the Schuyler Sisters, our third member is not present at the moment, I mean, we have more sisters but that’s not relevant right now. Our family is one of the biggest donors and supporters of this school.” Banana gave them a short summary of who they were, but John nodded his head, still unsure. 

“So, that’s nice, but can I get your names? And what’s this deal? I’m so confused,” he rambled, sitting in the nearest waiting chair.

“I am Angelica Schuyler, and this is my sister-”

“Margarita Schuyler, but call me Peggy or I’ll hit you.” Angelica looked irked at the interruption, but shook it off. 

“Okay, so about this deal-”

“We want you to stalk someone you know for our sister.” Angelica stared at Peggy, clearly irritated, while John and Alex gave the younger sister a, quite frankly horrified, look. 

“You want us to- what?” Alexander’s alarmed look never vanished as he stared at the sisters in disbelief. John pinched himself.

“Is this some weird-ass dream?” He whispered, turning a patch of skin on his forearm red as he kept pinching it. Angelica gave them a pleading look.

“Listen, Peggy was never supposed to say it like that, I swear it’s not as weird as it sounds!” Alexander’s expression still looked the same, but he gestured for Angelica to continue. “Okay, so we found that one of your...close friends is our sister’s...well, her  _ extreme  _ crush.” Alexander perked up, an expression of recognition settling itself onto his features. 

“Your sister told me about this! She talked to me during lunch today,” Alexander smiled, but it soon vanished as he realized the rest of what the Schuyler Sisters had said. “Wait, you want us to  _ stalk  _ who your sister likes? That’s impossible, we don’t even  _ know  _ who she likes! Besides, aren’t you guys supposed to be in class?” Angelica rubbed her temples while Peggy sighed exasperatedly. 

“We’re going to tell you who she likes, and then you must spy on them to see if they like our sister. We wouldn’t ask this of you if our sister wasn’t slowly dying because of how much she loves this girl.” John looked up quickly.

“Girl?” Angelica and Peggy threw sharp looks at him.

“Yeah, do you have a problem with that?” Angelica growled out, making even Alexander feel the need to shrink back due to her daunting stature.

“No, of course not!” John managed to get out. Angelica and Peggy relaxed, though they still looked ready to defend their sister in mere seconds. 

“So are you in? As for classes, there’s something called just not showing up.” Peggy tapped her foot impatiently on the carpeted floor. Alexander and John glanced at each other, then back up at the sisters. 

“Who is she?” John asked, and Peggy looked about ready to scream.  
“Can’t you just comply-” Angelica cut her off with her arm, silencing the younger sister.

“Maria Lewis.” This prompted Alexander to laugh, the sisters and John looking at him with concern. 

“What?” Spoke Peggy and Angelica at the same time, glaring at the teenager. Alexander put his arms up in a submissive manner, still chuckling.

“Nothing, nothing. Except that I’ve known Maria Lewis for three years and she has never said  _ a word  _ about romance. I think the most she’s told me is that she would like a relationship someday.” Angelica deflated.

“But isn’t she your friend?” Alexander nodded.

“That she is. So have fun with that, girls.” Alexander rose, only to be pushed down by Angelica. He gazed at her, shocked. 

“We’re not done here. Please, we would stalk her ourselves but she doesn’t know us, so we thought it would be better if we asked one of her friends.” Alexander leaned back in his chair, mirroring Peggy’s position but sitting.

“How did you know we were friends?” He narrowed his eyes, raising a brow.

“Oh, please, we’ve seen your Instagram.” Alexander cursed under his breath, looking away. 

“Okay, I’m just going to be honest,” John spoke up, “this is really weird. If I’m hearing you correctly, you’re asking us to  _ stalk  _ Maria Lewis because your sister likes her. Did your sister put you up to this?” Alexander nodded in agreement with John. Angelica and Peggy shared a look.

“Well, the thing is…” Peggy uncrossed her arms, fiddling with a curl in her hair. “We didn’t exactly tell Eliza about this…” Alexander and John gave them an “are you serious” stare. 

“But that’s not important. This is like a gift from us to her.” Peggy smiled, Angelica hesitating to nod, cringing at her sister’s description. 

“I think it’s kind of important if you’re sister knows about this.” Angelica looked to Peggy, silently telling her that she was going to be the one explaining this to them. 

“It’s Eliza, she won’t care. Besides, we’ll tell her, we promise. Can you just do this for us?” John and Alexander stood, glancing at each other, then back at the sisters.

“Can you give us a second?” Alexander asked, him and John moving to the corner of the office when they nodded. The two friends made it to the corner, John leaning against the wall and Alexander putting his hand to his chin in deep thought. 

“What do we get out of this?” John finally voiced his thoughts, raising an eyebrow at Alexander. 

“Yes, I didn’t even think of that. Also, we’re both pretty shitty at spying on people. I mean, remember that time in sixth-grade when-” John cut him off, flustered and waving his arms.

“Yes, yes, I remember! That’s not of importance right now. Why don’t we just ask them what we might get out of this?” Before Alexander could respond the other boy marched over to the girls, standing as tall as he could. 

“If we were to do this for you, what you do or give us in return?” Angelica and Peggy stayed silent, sharing another sisterly gaze.

“Whatever you want.” Peggy finally replied.

“But nothing weird.” Angelica added, Peggy nodding in agreement. 

The girls gave Alexander and John a few moments to make a decision, and finally the two boys came to a conclusion. They turned to the sisters, who were chatting nonchalantly. Alexander folded his arms behind his back as if he was giving a formal report. 

“We know a guy who could do this for you. He is also friends with Maria, and with us.” Angelica and Peggy looked ecstatic and surprised. 

“Great!” Peggy bounced up and down happily, John held up his index finger, making the younger Schuyler cease her jumping and return to her usual posture. 

“One condition; you have to tell your sister that you’re doing this.” Angelica and Peggy seemed to deem that fair, for they rummaged through their bags only to come back empty-handed. 

“I forgot my phone.” They spoke at the same time, earning irritated looks from the boys. 

“Here,” Alexander handed Angelica his phone, “use mine, I guess.” Angelica took it gratefully, stopping when the lock screen appeared.

“Password.” She handed Alexander his phone but John spoke before he could take the electronic.

“Dicks666.” Angelica and Peggy gave him a startled look at his eccentric password, but unlocked the phone. 

“Why?” Is all Peggy said when the phone successfully opened. Alexander sighed.

“I made the mistake of letting Lafayette choose my password, and I just never bothered to change it.” Peggy broke out in a fit of laughter, Angelica nudging her and giving her a scolding look, though her mouth was twisted to form what could only be a smile. 

“She doesn’t have your number, but that doesn’t matter. Also, who’s Lafayette?” She handed Alexander his phone back.

“He’s a new student from France. How did you guys forget your phones? I always see you on it,” John pointed to Peggy as Alexander pocketed his device. 

“I left it on my desk when Angelica texted me about this and I excused myself from the room. I guess I just forgot about it.” Angelica nodded, indicating that she had done the same. Peggy clapped, excitement shimmering in her eyes.

“So. When can we meet this man?” The bell rung as she finished speaking, and the four teens gathered their bags.

“Soon. I just want to go to class and pretend this never happened, though.” John answered, making his way to the door, the other three not far behind him.

“Aww, come on! You wish you hadn’t met us?” John stopped, his hand on the door handle. 

“No. But I wish I was never asked to stalk one of my friends.” Peggy waved him off as he opened the door, scoffing.

“Oh, come on. This is nothing compared to some of the requests that I have been asked to fulfill.” The three of them gave her weird looks. “All I’m saying is that this could be worse. Much worse.” John and Alexander glanced at each other uneasily. “Trust me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, sorry if it seemed rushed or something. Have a great day/night! Thank you for reading!


	3. He Needs No Introduction; Featuring Angelica, You Could Have Worded That Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Switches perspectives. Eliza freaks, Angelica comes to a realisation, Peggy's excited, John's not, and Hercules is irritated about McDonald's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So sorry I put this off for so long, I sort of lost inspiration and I'm pretty sure there's about one person reading this, but who cares? Anyway, these first few chapters are mainly the build-up and this whole thing isn't as creepy as it may sound in the fic. Also featuring a little bit of Lams. 
> 
> P.S, this chapter was made really quickly and was not edited through. So sorry for any mistakes you may find.

_ What the heck?! _ was Eliza’s first thought as she gazed at the text from the unknown number. She read it over several more times before putting her phone down and trying to ease nausea in her stomach. 

_ Got some dude to stalk Maria for you _ . The phrase was engraved in her mind, no matter how much she desired to go back to the innocent times of five minutes ago, when she had not seen her phone, the text, her next couple of years at high school crash and burn. 

Eliza had many questions. The first one that came to mind was  _ why _ . Just  _ why? _ The second one was  _ who is this? _ Only Angelica and Peggy knew of Eliza’s strong feelings for the other girl, and neither of them would betray Eliza’s trust and tell someone else. Alexander. Was it him? Did he connect the dots and then think that he was being helpful, or nice, or-  _ or what?  _ This was just downright creepy, and  _ Oh God what if the stalker is some middle-aged man?! What if Maria finds out and thinks I actually  _ asked  _ someone to stalk her? She’ll never talk to me again!  _ Eliza put her face in her hands, softly grieving on the table, drowning in the intensity of how awry her day had been going. 

“Elizabeth, dear, is everything alright?” Eliza squinted between her fingertips at the sudden figure of Ms. Austen. Her features twisted into an expression of worry, furrowed eyebrows, gentle frown. Usually, this would have comforted Eliza, but today was different. Today some  _ random person  _ found some other  _ random person  _ to stalk  _ the most beautiful girl in the world.  _ She felt herself start to hyperventilate. Was this all a prank? Realisation dawned on the teen as she exhaled a long, slow breath. She wanted to burst out laughing, to playfully punch Angelica or Peggy in the arm when she next saw them. How could she not have seen this before? It was all a prank! Angelica nor Peggy would ever just find some random stranger to stalk someone they  _ knew  _ their sister had the hugest crush on. It was inconceivable. Eliza felt waves of calm rush through her body, starting from her toes and making its way to her head. She felt like an empty glass being filled with the purest water. Whoever decided to prank her, they succeeded. They succeeded, and everyone could have a nice laugh about this later. 

  


“Angelica!” Eliza scrambled to grab her belongings and close her locker, effectively causing other unnecessary textbooks to fall out. She ignored them for the time-being, jogging up to her sister with a bright smile on her face. Angelica’s eyes widened as her sister got closer, her features forming a nervous smile. 

“Hey, Lizzie.” Eliza raised a brow, her grip on her books tightening.   
“You never call me ‘Lizzie,’” she looked her older sister up and down, glancing around for Peggy, “what’s the occasion?” Angelica fiddled with her backpack keychain, reluctantly meeting her sister’s gaze. This behaviour was very unusual from Angelica, and Eliza started to grow anxious. “Is there something wrong?” Angelica didn’t answer immediately, instead staring at the ceiling and moving her lips, speaking to herself. “Angie?” Eliza prompted, ignoring the bell as it rung, signaling the time for sixth period to start. Finally, Angelica seemed to find words. 

“Did you receive a text recently?” Eliza blinked, confused. Finally, she remembered the unknown number.  _ So this  _ was  _ a prank from them!  _

“Yeah, actually. It was an unknown number...care to explain?” Eliza wiggled her eyebrows, amused. Angelica stared at her in shock.

“Well you read it, didn’t you?” Eliza nodded, a smile glued to her face. Angelica looked beyond confused.

“You’re not mad?” She asked tentatively, her gaze on the tile floor. The hallways were barren, save for Angelica and Eliza. One of the lights flickered above them. 

“Why would I be? I’ve lived with you and Peggy long enough to know your dumb pranks.” Angelica’s right hand flew to her mouth, several papers and books falling to the floor, the loudest thing in the hallway. Hours of silence seemed to pass. 

“It wasn’t a prank.” Angelica’s voice was small, but Eliza heard her. Oh, she heard her  _ loud and clear.  _

“ _ What. _ ” 

  
  


“Hercules! Hey, buddy ol’ pal!” Alexander waved enthusiastically from where he stood at the stairwell, his other hand gripping John’s wrist (so he didn’t run away), and Peggy trailing behind the two. She peeked her head from behind Alexander, scanning the crowd. 

“Hercules…” She drew out the name as if it was the first sip of wine, the delicately bitter flavour foreign to her palate. Alexander started to grow impatient as the giant-of-a-teenager ignored him. He called out once more.

“Heerrcuuleeess, old friend!” Alexander started to slap his legs like you do when you call for a dog. About a minute later, Hercules turned to look at him, aggravated. 

“ _ What do you want? _ ” His gruff voice would have been daunting to anyone else had they not known Hercules like Alexander did. 

“That wasn’t a very pleasant tone,” Alexander remarked, frowning as he set his bags down and let go of John's wrist, walking the few steps toward the other boy. He waved for John and Peggy to follow suit. Hercules glanced around the commons, searching for any nearby teachers or kids who had nothing better to do than snitch on others. 

“I don’t give a flying  _ fuck  _ what you think, okay? Now, what do you want because I want to end this conversation sooner rather than later.” Alexander gasped in offense, a hand flying to his chest.

“Whatever have I done to offend you?” Hercules raised a brow, a silent ‘ _ oh you know what you did _ ’ look. Alexander worried his bottom lip, his eyes narrowed in concentration. 

“That was a week ago! And I’m super sorry! I’ve come to make amends…” He offered his hand, but Hercules merely glanced at it and shrugged it away. 

“What do you want, Hamilton?” Alexander sighed, clasping his hands together and holding them to his chin in a pleading gesture. 

“I need a favour.” Hercules laughed, a bitter sound, and his lips were twisted into a sharp grin. 

“If this were a week ago, I would actually accept, but given the circumstances-” Alexander looked protestant, his arms flailing animatedly as he tried to argue against Hercules’s response. 

“But I told you I was sorry! I apologized! Besides, you’re still my friend and you still love me! Hercules, you don’t know how much it means to me!” Hercules frowned, pointing an accusing finger at Alexander.

“Did you know how much that date meant to me?” It was not a question Alexander was supposed to answer. Instead, Hercules continued, “Obviously not because you decided to leave me  _ stranded at a McDonald’s  _ that was  _ two hours away! _ Then you claimed you ‘forgot,’” Alexander almost looked defeated. It was unnatural. 

“It slipped my mind, okay?” Hercules stared at the other boy in disbelief, not even noticing the uncomfortable looks John or Peggy shared. He probably did not even know they were there. 

“The  _ only other passenger in the car slipped your mind!  _ The great Alexander Hamilton’s mind couldn’t stand keeping track of his  _ best friend! _ ” 

“Hey!” John chimed in indignantly, “I thought I was his best friend!” Hercules waved him off, not even bothering to pay him a glance.

“You’re not in this conversation!” He hissed, narrowing his eyes at Alexander until the other boy wondered how he could even see anymore. 

“That’s it, break it up!” The harsh voice of the youngest Schuyler was abnormally loud but successful. Hercules and Alexander’s heads whipped to face her in unison. “You guys are more than immature. Can’t you settle this petty argument some other time? We have more important matters to worry about.” At that last sentence, she looked pointedly at Alexander, ignoring Hercules who was still staring, transfixed, at her. 

“Yes, yes! Peggy, you are absolutely correct, we  _ do  _ have more important matters to address.” A sly grin broke out on his face, unnerving Hercules. “About that favour…” 

  


“You  _ what! _ ” Eliza was close to shouting, which almost never occurred. Angelica flinched at her younger sister, looking genuinely frightened. She took a step back, her eyes darting frantically for an escape but relenting as she found none. Instead, she decided to offer Eliza other solutions before her sister exploded with anger. 

“How about we talk this over after school? Maybe you’ll warm up to the idea-” Angelica knew that was the wrong thing to say as she could basically see the wispy smoke pouring out of Eliza’s ears. 

“ _ Warm up to the idea? _ That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said!” Eliza shrieked, speaking animatedly. At least she didn’t have to worry about hitting some passerby in the face seeing as the hallway was desolate save for the two of them. Soon to be one. “And you  _ never  _ fail to respond intelligently, Angelica!” Angelica flinched, opening her mouth as if to speak, only to close it once more. 

“I have to go to class. Don’t worry about it, Eliza. I’ll call it off.” Eliza whipped around to face a retreating Angelica, 

“You better!” 

  


“Fine, what is this favour?” Hercules crossed his arms, glancing between Peggy, Alexander, and John. 

“Yes!” Alexander exclaimed, pumping his fist in a triumphant gesture. 

“I never said I will agree. I need to know what it is first, and then I will request something in return.” Alexander’s glimmering eyes immediately dulled, and he scowled. Before he could respond, however, John yanked him to the nearest table, grabbing Peggy more gently. He then turned to Hercules and signaled for him to give them a moment. The other teenager agreed reluctantly. Alexander took a seat, impatiently tapping his fingers against the plastic covering of the table, surveying his fellow peers. Peggy plopped two seats away, dropping her bag at her side and exhaling a breath, looking at John expectantly. The other boy looked tired beyond belief as he sat in between the two, his gaze a mixture of many thoughts. Alexander peered at him, trying to break down what he was thinking. It was difficult, to say the least. Not only was Alexander particularly bad at reading emotions, it seemed that John was not the type of person to wear his heart on his sleeve. 

“Okay, I know that to you guys your whole ‘favour’ may not seem like a crazy idea, but when you actually put it into context any normal person would never accept this.” Alexander opened his mouth to defy, but it was Peggy who spoke.

“Then what are we going to tell him? We can’t just give up now! Besides, Angie already texted Eliza and told her that we found someone who could do this! Also, not only do I love my sister so much to take her best interests to heart, but this also sounds really fun and I’ve been waiting for an adventure like this!” Her eyes shimmered with excitement, her lips a broad smile. It was the complete opposite image of John. His frown deepened. 

“Oh, so this is a personal gain?” Peggy’s smile faltered but her eyes didn’t lose their shine. 

“No, it’s for Eliza  _ and  _ me.” Alexander pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. 

“That still sounds like a personal gain, but I guess you’re also thinking of Eliza.” John laughed and rubbed his face, shaking his head. “What?” Alexander grew irritated.  _ Is he mocking me?  _

“Nothing. But has anyone ever entertained the thought that Eliza may not be so smitten with the idea? What did Angelica say in her text, exactly?” The question was aimed at Peggy, who shrugged. 

“I don’t know, but I trust Angelica’s judgment. She probably said all of the right things to get Eliza on board.” 

  


_ Shit shit shit!  _ Angelica thought to herself as she looked behind her, making sure Eliza was no longer in her line of vision. When she knew her sister could no longer see her, she collapsed against the wall. So she had a lapse in judgment? It was common, right? Everyone does it?  _ But you’re not supposed to make mistakes. You’re Angelica fucking Schuyler, you don’t make mistakes!  _ she shook her head furiously. 

“Everyone makes mistakes. Besides, all I have to do is call it off, and everything will be back to normal. It was a stupid idea anyway, just thought I’d have a little fun around here,” she whispered to herself, digging through her bags for her phone. It wasn’t there. She left it in the classroom before meeting Alexander and John in the office, hence why she used Alexander’s phone to text her sister. “Great,” she murmured, “just great.” She would have to call off the plan later, for now, all she had to do was make it to class before she failed this semester. 

  


“This is happening, we are doing this.” Peggy slammed her fist on the table in affirmation. “High school life is so dull! We need to make this interesting for everyone! I haven’t done something this crazy in weeks!” She was now standing, jumping around like a giddy eight-year-old getting ice-cream.   

“But you  _ just  _ admitted that this was crazy!” John retorted, only to be met with Alexander’s hand on his shoulder. 

“Who said crazy was a bad thing? Besides, it’s not like he’s going to drive around Maria’s block three times with binoculars in hand, observing her every move. All he’s doing is befriending her and learning about her interests, specifically romantically. We’re playing matchmaker, John! What are you so afraid of?” Alexander was standing now, too, looking pleased with himself. John grinned, only for a second, before his face became a mask of concern. Alexander frowned. 

“Aren’t we her friends, too? Why can’t we just do this?” Alexander sighed, sitting back in his seat and facing his friend. He analyzed his face, from his dove blue eyes to the freckles dotting his cheeks and nose, his auburn hair and olive skin tone. He widened his eyes as a fleeting thought struck him.  _ John’s quite attractive.  _ He shook his head, blinking. He’d never really thought that way about another boy. Sure, he could remark on how aesthetically pleasing another male could be, but never the pleasing as in  _ looking at you is almost making my cheeks heat up. Almost.  _ Alexander hung on to that word. 

“Alexander?” John asked hesitantly, staring at him expectantly. The other boy broke out of his reverie from his friend’s voice, frowning. 

“What?” John glanced at Peggy, who had both eyebrows raised and arms crossed. 

“Aren’t we Maria’s friends, too?” John repeated, drawing Alexander back to their previous conversation. 

“Oh, uh, yes, yes!”  _ Eloquently said.  _ He scolded himself before continuing, “We are, but, don’t you think Maria would have told us about her romantic life by now? Who knows why she hasn’t. Maybe there’s a lack of trust, maybe she’s uncomfortable telling us. But with Hercules, she might be willing to tell him! The man’s basically a personal therapist! Besides, she’s only met him once or twice, so at least he’s not a complete stranger to her.” Peggy nodded in agreement while John still looked puzzled.

“But wouldn’t Hercules be betraying her trust by just spilling her romantic secrets to us?” Alexander opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Good point. 

“Well,” his eyes flicked to the side before meeting John’s again, “maybe she’ll warm up to him to the point where she’s willing to divulge her secrets with us, too.” Peggy smiled, clapping her hands in excitement. Alexander wondered if her optimism could ever be broken. 

“I feel like this all is just hopes and prayers, sprinkled in with more hope,” John said bluntly, before shrugging. “This isn’t a movie, nothing ever works out the way you want it to...but I guess we could give it a shot.” Alexander beamed, and he hugged John tightly. 

“Finally! I was starting to fear you wouldn’t be on board!” He squeezed John to the point where he could vaguely hear the boy complain about lack of oxygen or something. 

“Are you idiots done yet?” 

  


Eliza tried to calm herself down, but she just couldn't. She was currently sitting in biology, her gaze fixed on the window rather than her teacher’s lecture. She trusted Angelica enough to know she would call it off, but there was still that thought in the back of her mind that nagged at her.  _ What if she’s lying? What if she’s too late?  _ Eliza groaned, rubbing her eyes. She hoped she was wrong. Hell, she  _ prayed  _ she was wrong. Although she was quite angry that her sisters would do something like this without her consent, or just do something like this at  _ all _ , it was still kind of an amusing situation. At least they cared about her enough to want to check if her crush liked her back. Even if it was a peculiar method. She giggled to herself. Since when did her life become like a high school film? A poke in her back brought her out of her trance. 

“I’m pretty sure you should have been taking notes.” Catherine sat next to her, staring at her with warm eyes. Eliza blinked, looking from the empty whiteboard to the Russian girl. 

“Oh my gosh, really?” Catherine nodded, her brow furrowing. 

“Or at least I think. I’m fairly certain that’s what he said at the beginning of the lecture, but now I’m doubting myself.” Eliza nervously picked at her cuticles. 

“Oh, shoot. I didn’t catch a single thing he said,” she began to chew on her lip when Catherine just gave her a warm smile and nudged her spiral notebook towards her. 

“Don’t worry, you can just copy the notes I took.” Eliza sighed appreciatively, pulling out a pencil from her backpack. About halfway through writing, she eyed Catherine sharpening her pencil as quietly as she could. 

“Hey,” she whispered, though it was loud enough to catch Catherine’s attention. “Do you know Maria Lewis?” The other girl’s eyebrows rose. 

“Do I know Maria Lewis?” She echoed Eliza’s statement, putting her index finger to her lips in deep concentration. “You know,” she began, “I’m not quite sure. Could you describe her to me?” Eliza nodded fervently but not before she caught the teacher’s eye. He glared at her, giving her look that said  _ get back to work.  _ She ignored him and continued to speak in hushed tones, occasionally writing in her notebook just in case. 

“She’s got beau-I mean brown eyes, and chocolate hair, bronze skin, and a  _ body.  _ Oh, yes, what a body indeed…” Eliza trailed off dreamily, an infatuated smile on her face. Catherine giggled. 

“Well, one would hope she has a body. Otherwise, she would be just a head and a couple of scattered limbs.” Eliza could feel her cheeks turn pink. She couldn’t help but go into a hypnotic state when thinking of Maria. It was unconscious, really. The other girl was just  _ so dang beautiful.  _ She never wanted the image of such a girl to vanish from her thoughts. 

  


“Yes, we are ready!” Peggy happily jumped away from the table, standing less than two feet from Hercules. Her attitude was infectious. 

“We are indeed!” Alexander had an eager smile and a determined look on his face. He would make sure Hercules accepted their terms and conditions. 

“Sure, I guess.” Alexander and Peggy frowned. 

“Could you be more enthusiastic?” Alexander spoke as Peggy said, “You’re killing the mood, John.” John rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. 

“Fine. I’m super stoked, bro!” Peggy winced as Alexander cringed, but John smiled. He was satisfied. 

“Okay…” Hercules spoke unsurely, his gaze evenly distributed between the three of them. “So who’s going to tell me about this ‘favour?’” Peggy looked to John who looked to Alexander. The latter cleared his throat. He had a split second of hesitation, a split second of doubt. Hercules would  _ never  _ agree to something like this. He loved spying playfully, always had. For him, it was a game to get to know people. He did it a lot in middle school, but usually for good reason. He even went so far as transferring to another  _ school  _ just to learn their soccer strategies and report them back to his actual school, although the only ones he told were John and Alexander. They ended up winning a lot of the games. It only didn’t count as cheating because the other school were complete dicks. Finally, he spoke. Oh, this was going to go well.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! I really hope you enjoyed, even though it was made in a hurry. The next chapters will not take so long to be published, I hope. Also, if you want a certain person's perspective next, just comment and I'll try to see if it fits. I was thinking either John or Maria?? I don't know, I'll figure it out.


	4. Spying on the British Government; Featuring She's Gonna Say No to This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hercules's mission begins. Eliza's miserable. Peggy's having the time of her life. Angelica wasted about fifty dollars on Subway, and five more characters get introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I would update frequently, but I lost inspiration again and I actually thought I wouldn't return to this. But then an actual plot struck me and now I'm excited to write it, so maybe I'll actually keep my promise this time. Whoever reads this, thank you, it makes me super happy. Anyway, here is the fourth chapter! Enjoy!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry if background characters annoy you, and they certainly won't be the focus of the story. I just think it makes the story more realistic, and I enjoy having more characters. Thank you!

“No.” 

“Hear me out!” Alexander began, making a concise list of arguments in his head as to why Hercules should do this. 

“No way, man!” Before his friend could completely walk away, Alexander wrapped his arms around Hercules’s, pulling him back toward John and Peggy.

“ _ Please!  _ You have to listen to me!” 

“I listened enough, and no. My middle school days are over, and you would think I would do you this big of a favour after you left me at McDonald’s? Piss off. Also, I don’t even know one of the girls you’re talking about. Why should I do this for you?” 

“Because it would be a nice favour! Don’t you like playing matchmaker?” Alexander whined, struggling to pull the other teen back toward the rest of his friends. 

“Not like this! Besides, why doesn’t Elsie-”

“Eliza,” 

“ _ Eliza _ ,” he clarified, “just do this herself?” Peggy sighed, glancing at John before pulling Alexander off of Hercules.

“Because Eliza is horrible when it comes to confrontation, and you wouldn’t believe how many times Angelica and I have done things like this for her.” Hercules raised a sceptical eyebrow. 

“You’re telling me you guys hired people to spy on your sister’s crushes?” Peggy nodded.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t we? Isn’t that what every sibling does?”

“No.” The rest of the group spoke in unison. “At least not any sane sibling,” John muttered under his breath. Peggy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

“Well, then you guys just don’t have any good siblings.” She then turned to Hercules, putting on her most pleading face. She clasped her hands together as if she were about to pray, taking a few steps closer to him and quivering her bottom lip just enough. “Please, please do this for us. It’s not as weird as it sounds. You won’t have to hide in her bushes with a pair of binoculars, all you have to do is find out more about her interests. Specifically  _ romantic  _ interests. But be discreet, which I know you’re capable of.” She leaned in closer to him, whispering, “I’ve heard some stories…” Hercules pulled away, a slight blush rising to his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll do this for you.” Peggy jumped triumphantly. “But on one condition.” Peggy deflated, groaning.

“What?” 

“You have to buy my anything I want from Subway.” Peggy turned to face John and Alexander, her warm brown eyes flashing between both of them. She nodded, holding her small hand out for Hercules to shake. 

“Deal.” 

 

“I can’t believe you guys,” Eliza whined into her pillow, stretching out on the couch in the Schuyler living room. “I can’t believe you!” 

“Hey, in our defence, we thought you would enjoy this!” Peggy painted her nails a coral pink, not taking her eyes off of her precious work. Eliza threw the pillow across the room, propping her elbow under her and sitting up to stare at Peggy. When the younger sister didn’t acknowledge her, she groaned, plopping back down into her former position. 

“How could you think I would enjoy this? Of course I don’t want some guy stalking the girl I like! What if she finds out? She’ll hate me and then we  _ really  _ don’t have a chance together!” Eliza groaned again, reaching for another couch pillow. Peggy sighed, reluctantly setting down her polish and letting her left hand dry. 

“Don’t act like we haven’t done this before.”

“Yes, I know you have. And how many times has it worked? None!”

“Don’t give me rhetorical questions, Eliza. I have a good feeling about this one. Also, the guys we talked to, Alexander, John, and Hercules. They seem like good people. Maybe we can come out of this making friends. One of them is cute, too.” Eliza rolled her eyes, pulling the pillow over herself and pretending to suffocate. 

“I hate you guys.”

“Love you, too, Lizzie.” 

 

Angelica walked the halls of the B Pod the next day, stopping by the AP English classroom where Hercules told her to meet him after school. She watched the different coloured dots of the carpet as she walked, swinging her car keys in her left hand.

“There you are.” She looked up as the voice spoke, Hercules merely two feet away. Behind him stood John, Alexander, some tall guy with a frizzy bun, and three other teenage boys lumped into a tight group. Angelica crossed her arms, her keys digging into her skin uncomfortably.

“I’m not buying all of you Subway.” She stated bluntly, glaring at all of them. Hercules shook his head.

“I know you’re not, they just wanted to come. These three,” Hercules pointed to the tight-knit group of teenage boys, “didn’t believe me when I told them what you guys asked of me.” Angelica turned to them, inspecting all three closely. The one on the far left was smaller than the other two, short curly-ish ebony hair pulled into a low ponytail. He had friendly eyes the colour of his hair and a wide smile. The one in the middle, however, was very different. Tall and handsome, if Angelica said so herself. He looked to be around her age, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he was younger. Fit figure and piercing ocean blue eyes, to top it all off golden blonde hair. Angelica couldn’t help it when the corner of her mouth twitched into a smile. The last one looked quite nervous. She wondered if he was just nervous now, or if that was an expression he always wore. Nonetheless, he also had blonde hair, though it was duller than the middle one’s golden strands, hazel-green eyes and a tight smile. 

“Who are you?” Angelica nodded to the boys, glancing at the other tall boy with the bun. She wondered if he was the French transfer student Alexander was talking about. The middle cleared his throat, speaking for his friends.

“I’m Benjamin Tallmadge, very nice to meet you, Miss Schuyler. These are my friends Caleb Brewster,” he gestured to the brunette on the right, “and Abraham Woodhull.” Abraham gave her a small wave. Benjamin then held his hand out for her to shake, smiling politely. Angelica couldn’t help the heat that rose to her cheeks, and she prayed that he wouldn’t see it. Caleb clapped him on the back, his face alight and a smile that seemed to brighten the entire room. 

“How do you do?  Sorry for Benny’s formality, I take it as my personal job to teach him the ways of the twenty-first century.” Angelica laughed at that, turning back to Hercules. 

“It’s nice to meet you all, but I’m not sure if I have enough room in my car.” Hercules shrugged, gazing at all of his friends. 

“They can walk.” 

“Excuse me?” whined Alexander.

“Unfair…” agreed the French student (presumably Lafayette).

“Well, I’m leaving then,” John muttered, giving Angelica a smile before walking down the Pod halls. Alexander followed close behind. 

“Wait! You’re my ride home!” Angelica watched them go, the five others waiting patiently for her next move. 

“Well, one of you is going to have to fit in the trunk.” 

With many complaints, that one turned out to be Abraham. Hercules got front, Caleb, Benjamin, and Lafayette piled into the back, and Abraham squeezed into the trunk of her silver 2016 Subaru Outback. The drive to Subway was a quick one, as the traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as it could’ve been. It was a fairly silent drive, save for the few times Angelica would hear Caleb laughing at a picture on his phone, showing Ben said picture on his phone, and the suppressed laughter that Ben tried to hide by covering his mouth.

“I hope you all have money,” Angelica stated as she pulled into the driveway of Subway, putting her car in park. 

“Except for me, right?” Hercules raised his eyebrows, prompting a humoured sigh from Angelica.

“Except for you. Also, no eating in my car.” 

 

“Good news, Lizzie! Hercules said that his mission will start tomorrow!” Eliza groaned into her folded arms, head on the dinner table. “I don’t know about you but I find this hilarious. I think he can pull this off, don’t you?” Eliza slowly lifted her head, glaring at Peggy. If looks could kill Peggy would be on fire. 

“I don’t care anymore, Peggy. You guys already ruined my life with your stupid plan, so I’m going to try to collect the scraps and forget about her.” 

“Oh, come on, Lizzie. Isn’t it fun to play matchmaker?” 

“Not when you’re part of the match! If you enjoy matchmaker so much, why didn’t you find some other people to bother instead of ruining  _ my  _ love life!” Peggy snorted.

“What love life? I also think I might play matchmaker more often. I already have some people in mind besides you and Maria.” Eliza’s glare turned to an expression of interest, and she leaned closer to Peggy.

“Really? Who?” Peggy hid her phone near her chest before Eliza could glance at what she was going.

“I’m not telling yet, dearest sister. If the time comes and I need assistance, you’ll know.” Eliza rolled her eyes, head returning to its spot between her arms. Suddenly, the front door opened, heels echoing on the marble floors of the Schuyler mansion.

“Honeys, I’m home!” Angelica’s voice rang out through the entire house, and Peggy squealed before jumping up and running to the eldest Schuyler. Angelica turned to her, smiling, clutching a Subway bag. “I also brought dinner.” She shook the bag a little and walked to the dinner table, Peggy following her hungrily. Angelica flung the bag onto the dinner table, followed by protests from Peggy to be more “delicate with the food.” Once Angelica was seated and unwrapped her sandwich, she turned to Eliza, smirking. 

“How’s our Little Liza?” Eliza’s head popped up, a frown on her face and eyelids drooping. She still managed to give Angelica the same cold glare she fixed Peggy with minutes ago.

“I’m not ‘Little’ and I’m also not happy. How could you guys do this to me? You’ve doomed me.” She dramatically spread her arms across the table, her raven black hair draped across the table like long strokes of paint. 

“Oh, melodramatic much? I think you’ll live.” Angelica pat her younger sister’s head, returning to her sandwich, taking a large bite. “You also might want to eat before Peggy eats for you.” Eliza shot up and snatched her sandwich, Peggy narrowing her eyes at both of them, taking the last bite of her own sandwich. 

“Who said I would eat it?” Eliza carefully undid the wrapping, spreading it across the table like a plate. She then took a napkin from the bag, unfolding it and setting it delicately on her lap. 

“You did. Every time we get dinner you always state how you’ll ‘eat it we don’t finish.’” Peggy slumped back in her chair, folding her arms. 

“I don’t appreciate feeling attacked.”   

 

“Hey, Maria!” Hercules closed his locker perhaps a little too aggressively, quickly shoving his textbooks into his backpack before jogging to the girl who waited at the door to her next class. “How’s life?” Maria smiled, a small chuckle escaping her lips.

“Fine. Why are you asking me this two minutes before class? I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, but I didn’t realise you would truly die without me.” She flicked her hair narcissistically, blinking several times too fast. Hercules laughed, much louder compared to Maria’s dainty chuckle. 

“Just thought I’d catch up a bit before going straight to Hell.” He glanced around at the students shoving past them to get by, deciding now was not the best time to start probing her with millions of questions. Actually, he didn’t think anytime was a good time to do that. 

“You should meet us at lunch today, instead of hanging out with those art fucks.” Maria pushed him playfully, yet she couldn’t stop herself from dissolving into laughter. 

“So you’re saying that technically John’s an art fuck?” Hercules shrugged. Maria shook her head.

“I’m going to tell him you said that. Of course I’ll see you guys at lunch, I’ve missed you!” She then hugged him, which Hercules returned awkwardly because of the height difference. “Just text me where you are, because, you know. Big school.” She gestured wildly around her before the other boy nodded, waving at her and departing for his next class. 

 

“I’ve got this in the bag,” Hercules whispered to Lafayette in physics, not bothering to pay attention to anything Mr. Dalton was writing about on the board. Something to do with science. His friend wrote down one more thing before turning to him, raising a brow. 

“You have what in a bag?” Hercules almost wanted to laugh, but he knew that might offend his very French friend. Instead, he waited for Mr. Dalton to turn back to the whiteboard before offering an explanation.

“The whole Maria thing. I don’t think it’s going to be as hard or weird as the Schuylers made it out to be. All I have to do is subtly ask her a few questions, see her preferences, you know. Just like that, I’ll know if she likes anyone.” Lafayette nodded before sneaking a glance at the teacher, making sure he wasn’t looking. 

“Why do you want to know about Maria?” Hercules sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.

“Lafayette! We talked about this, remember? The whole deal with the Schuylers because their sister is in love and they’re all crazy?” Lafayette considered this before shaking his head, his expression blank.

“Nope, don’t remember.” Hercules gave him a “seriously?” look. Lafayette put his hands up in a surrendered motion. 

“What? You don’t expect me to actually pay attention to everything you say, do you?” The class shared whispers and some snickers before Mr. Dalton looked up, an unamused expression plastered onto his face. Lafayette and his stupid loud mouth. 

“Mr. Mulligan, Mr. Lafayette, is there a problem?” Hercules shook his head quickly, apologising profusely. Mr. Dalton shook his head, muttering something about “these kids,” before continuing the lesson. Deciding not to get into any more trouble, Hercules left their conversation at that, but not before glaring at Lafayette, who returned the sentiment with his tongue out.

 

“John, stop packing your lunch and be a normal person and just order one.” Hercules wadded up and threw his straw wrapper at his friend, poking the straw into his soda. John picked up the wrapper off of the floor, flicking it back at Hercules. It landed in his chicken strips.

“Sorry I think school food is horrible.” John murmured as Lafayette plopped down into the seat next to him, lunch tray slamming on the table. He poked his very fake-looking salad with a fork. 

“What is this? Prison?” He pushed the tray away and stole a potsticker from John, much to the other boy’s displeasure. John shielded his food and scooted away from Lafayette, just as Alexander sat down. John hit his side as he sat, his blue eyes widening before he quickly scooted away, his face red. Alexander watched his food intently, his face pointed to the ground as he slowly started to eat. Hercules whistled.

“You two are the most awkward people I know.” Alexander’s head snapped up and he stuck his tongue out. “That’s the second time this has happened to me today.” He looked between Alexander and Lafayette, his eyes narrowing. “Did you plan this?” He poked Lafayette in the side, which the other boy responded with a hushed squeak. Another guest joined the table, her lunch tray sliding gently across the plastic covering. 

“Hey, guys!” Maria spoke cheerily, her gaze landing on each one of them. The mood brightened as Alexander scrambled to hug her, followed by a still-awkward John. “I didn’t know you missed me this much. Also, Hercules, you forgot to text me.” She bit into an apple and gave her friend a questioning look. Hercules opened his mouth, then closed it.

“Whoops, sorry.” Maria made an ‘hmm’ noise and set the apple down, folding her hands. 

“John, Hercules called you an art fuck.” John swiftly turned to Hercules.

“Hey, don’t compare me to Maria’s ‘other’ friends.” Hercules flicked Maria’s shoulder before responding. 

“What? It’s kind of true. And Maria’s friends aren’t bad people they’re just…” 

“Do they give you guys a hippie vibe, too?” Lafayette’s eyes were wide, his fork halfway to his mouth. Alexander snapped his fingers. 

“Exactly! I knew there was something about them!” Maria threw her milk carton at him, an indignant expression on her face. 

“Excuse you, I happen to like my other friends. Maybe I shall go sit with them since they’re actually grateful for my presence.” She picked up her lunch tray, but Hercules was quicker. He dove and attached himself to her leg, almost making her fall.

“WAIT! Don’t leave!” Maria tried pulling her leg free to no avail. She couldn’t even walk. 

“You’re like a fricking brick, Herc!” She finally relented and set her lunch tray back on the table. Proud of his tactics, Hercules smiled and released her poor leg, joining the rest of them at the lunch table. He looked at Alexander, winked, then began a conversation.

“So, Maria. Our group hasn’t hung out in a while.” Maria nodded, spreading ketchup on her burger bun with a knife. “And I was thinking...what’s been going on with you lately? School, home, hobbies...relationships…” He wiggled his eyebrows, and he could tell out of the corner of his eye how much Alexander wanted to slap him. So he wasn’t as discreet as he could have been, but it wasn’t that weird of a question, right? Maria lifted a brow, still looking at her burger. Eventually, she blew some hair out of her eyes, turning her attention to Hercules.

“Well, I’m pretty good considering I got to skip English. Why do you want to know?” Hercules rested his chin in his hands, gazing at her with a curious smile. 

“Because I’m your friend and we talk about these sort of things.” Maria pondered this, taking a sip of her soda. 

“Yeah, but you put more emphasis on the word ‘relationship.’ Why?” Hercules shrugged, glancing at his other companions for any help. Alexander wore a disapproving look while John was shaking his head, rubbing his eyes. Lafayette was completely oblivious to the conversation, devouring his entire salad in less than a minute. 

“It’s always fun to ask friends about their love life. Alexander,” the aforementioned boy’s head shot up, his expression changing as he smiled at Maria, “how’s your love life, hmm?” A light shade of pink dusted his cheeks as he glared at Hercules. 

“Don’t have one.” He mumbled, his eyes glued to his tray as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. 

“That’s such a lie you little fuck. Just look at your face!” Hercules jeered. Maria laughed, small at first but growing as Alexander’s face became redder. 

“I’m not the focus here, okay? We haven’t seen Maria in a while, why don’t you just talk to her.” The last sentence was almost inaudible, but due to the proximity between the two Hercules understood what he meant. 

“Oh, Maria. Don’t think I’m going to let you off easy.” Maria took a bite of her burger, ketchup sticking to the edges of her wine red lips. 

“Shoot, I was hoping we could continue making fun of baby Alexander here, but I guess I was wrong.” She let out a long sigh, seeming truly disappointed. 

“Well, I’m not letting him off either, but you’re first.” Alexander snapped back to attention, his expression cross. 

“What?” Hercules ignored him, opting to give all his focus to Maria. 

“So, how’s our Maria doing out in the world of love?” Maria tsked, taking another bite and chewing thoughtfully. She rested her chin in one hand, holding the burger precariously in the other. 

“I wouldn’t call high school the ‘world of love.’” She began eating again and Hercules’s hopes dropped. This would be more difficult than he thought. 

 

Eliza’s day wasn’t going too well. First, she woke up late and had no time to shower, which she was very distressed about (“Get over it, Eliza, just shower when you get home.” “Personal hygiene is important, Peggy! I don’t want to smell like a beached whale when I go to school.”), then she had no time to even brush her teeth (a crime), and finally, she hadn’t seen Maria all day. Yes, the last part might be a bit dramatic, but Maria truly made her day better. Even if she didn’t talk to Eliza, even if she didn’t need an extra copy of the homework assignment. If only Eliza could have glanced over to the desk on the opposite side of the room and see Maria making her famous origami creations. She only had one class with her anyway, and that happened to be English. 

“Miss Schuyler, I haven’t seen you participating. Feel free to answer.” Eliza’s head whipped up to face the front, her attention focused on Mr. Boudinot. She tried to read what was on the board, but it was just her luck that it was only the date and the name of the book they were reading. She had no clue what they were talking about. 

“I-I um...uh…” Mr. Boudinot sighed, shaking his head disappointingly. 

“As expected. And has anyone seen Miss Lewis? Mister Morris? Miss Shippen?” He read his attendance chart, rapidly growing more frustrated with each name that was marked absent.

“Why is  _ everyone _ on a  _ Goddamned break _ ?!” Eliza shrunk back in her seat, pretending to be writing notes before he could yell at her for not paying attention. Ever. 

“I hate this class. I should’ve skipped with Shippen.” Eliza’s eyes darted to the mysterious voice next to her. A girl with a messy brown bun and large, doe-eyes turned to her, a smile appearing on her face. 

“I don’t blame you for not paying attention. I wouldn’t. Well, I don’t.” Eliza returned a shy smile, not wanting to risk talking while Mr. Boudinot ranted about the importance of attendance. The girl stuck her hand out from under the table, and Eliza took it tentatively. 

“Anna Strong.” She said with pride, shaking Eliza’s hand. She had a very sturdy grip, and suddenly Eliza was self-conscious. She wasn’t a very physically strong person. “I know who you are, so you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble.” Eliza’s smile widened gratefully as she let go of Anna’s hand. Before Anna could say anything else, the bell rung a loud, piercing squeal. Kids were streaming out of the room as quickly as they could, as if Mr. Boudinot was a ticking time-bomb. He probably was. 

“See you around, Eliza Schuyler.” 

 

“You guys are idiots.” Maria licked ketchup off her finger, neglecting the napkin that lay beside her. She downed the last few sips of her soda, poking the apple before deciding that she wasn’t  _ that  _ hungry. Hercules gave Alexander a “help wanted” stare. Alexander just shook his head. Some help he was. 

“And yet you still hang out with us,” John commented, looking pointedly at Maria as he slipped another potsticker into his mouth. 

“Well someone has to watch over you.” John considered this, gazing at the ceiling. Eventually, he shrugged, turning back to his food. “I can’t just let four idiots run around on their own, it would be irresponsible, darlin’.” She continued speaking to John, an insulting smirk on her face. John looked as if he tasted a lemon.

“I hate it when you call me that.” Maria laughed, throwing her head back.

“That’s why I do it.” She winked, and John looked queasy. Hercules didn’t know if he was faking it or if he actually wanted to vomit. John was weird that way. Finally, Lafayette spoke up after clearing his entire lunch tray. 

“People say plants are alive, so can they feel you eating them?” Maria laughed and Alexander let out a humoured sigh. 

“I don’t think that’s how that works, Lafayette.” Lafayette looked sceptical.

“Are you sure, Alexander? Because  _ I’m  _ pretty sure that if something’s alive it has feelings or emotions.” Hercules stared at his friends, unsure if he was actually serious. Why were all his friends weird? Maybe Maria was right. 

“Let’s get back to the conversation at hand, okay, Lafayette?” Hercules tried to steer it back to his mission. He was hoping he could be done with this in one day, and tell the Schuylers the results soon. Except he forgot how guarded Maria was. 

“What conversation?” Maria gazed at him innocently, her chin back to its place resting on the top of her hands. Hercules simpered, ready to probe once more.

“The conversation about your love life. You seem to avoid the topic, so one might think that you actually...love someone, Maria.” Maria’s innocent look was replaced with one of irritation. 

“Love is a strong word, Hercules.” 

“So you do like someone, then?”

“I never said that.”

“You implied it.”

“I did not!” 

“That was very implied, Maria.”

“It was not!”

“Stop!” Lafayette glared at the two of them. “Let’s engage in a different conversation, non? It’s not very compelling to sit and watch you two bicker.” Alexander bit his lip and looked at Hercules, raising his brows.  _ Damn, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought _ . 

“Sure.” Hercules agreed, dispirited. Maria nodded, relieved to be off the subject. She turned to Alexander and begun talking, Lafayette and John in their own conversation. He could see Alexander’s animated expressions, movements, snippets of their conversation flowed into one ear and out the other, something about politics. He couldn’t get Maria’s relieved face out of his head. He thought this would be simple, short. He thought he could just ask her and she’d tell. He wasn’t as close to her as Alexander and John were, but he still didn’t think she would be  _ this  _ closed off. What didn’t she want him to know? Why was it so important that no one knew anything about her love life? Hercules’s job shouldn’t even be this hard, and he can’t break his deal with the Schuylers after they held up their end. He just needs to find out who she likes (if she likes anyone). He’s not trying to see if she swings that way. He’s not trying to convince her to fall in love with the middle Schuyler. So why was she sensitive about it? But the most important question.

_ What the Hell am I going to do?  _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, comment, kudos, do whatever you want, I don't run your life. Hope the first chapter was good enough, I just have too many fics on my computer and felt I should post them. If you want me to continue this (I might anyways but who knows), then comment or something like that. Again, thank you so much, I hope it was enjoyable! Plot coming soon! Have a nice day/night!


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